With the widespread adoption of the internet in recent years, the digitization of global work became unavoidable. Many highly trained professionals have been able to relocate to anywhere they desire because of technological advancements, and remote workers have evolved from staring at their laptops to developing startup cultures. Indonesia, especially Bali, has become a place where skilled workers continually migrate from different parts of the world. Diverse entrepreneurs and workers continue to arrive in large numbers, and local governments are taking notice.
Sandiaga Uno, the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, recently announced plans for a long-term visa in the hopes of attracting digital nomads in the long run, in accordance with the national plan of 2019, which is to increase digital industry financing, e-commerce operators, human resource development and education, and technological infrastructure.
The Indonesian islands are undoubtedly prepared for this transition. The overall standard of living in Bali has made it the ideal substitute for a cold and unfriendly office; thanks to its friendly local culture and the fact that most establishments now provide high-quality internet connection. It is no surprise that Bali attracts more people to come on a workstation.
In an effort to help the tourism-dependent island’s economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, the Indonesian government sent thousands of Jakarta-based civil servants to work remotely from Bali in 2021. The program, which was administered by the Maritime Affairs and Investment Ministry Coordinator, was expected to benefit up to 8,000 personnel from seven ministries. Workers from the energy ministry, the public works ministry, and the transportation ministry were among them.
Bali is frequently ranked first as the best place to live and work remotely, and Canggu, a medium-sized town, is a special place where foreign remote workers and Indonesian locals integrate and collaborate, hence Bali has branded itself as the hub for creative and business-oriented people.
To accommodate aspiring entrepreneurs, co-working spaces are springing up all over the island. Startup culture is emerging from coworking spaces such as Tropical Nomad, co-founded by Ichi Yamada and located in the busy hub of Canggu. “At Tropical Nomad, I’ve seen coworking spaces evolve from a bunch of people sitting alone on their laptops to a lot of meetups where knowledge, information, and collaborative energy are curated.”, “That’s why we’re now calling it Silicon Bali,” he jokes, “but when it comes time for a sunset and coconuts, we all forget about the Internet and gather with our friends to watch that magnificent sunset.”
Since its inception in 1999, Indonesia has been accorded the honor of hosting the G20 summit for the first time, in November. Taking place in Nusa Dua, Bali, this G20 summit will be attended by 19 countries and one economic area, the European Union. Among the 19 countries represented are South Africa, the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Russia, France, China, and Turkey.
As Indonesia holds the G20 presidency this year, it is an ideal opportunity to encourage the world to implement policies that can kickstart the global economic recovery. Furthermore, the G20 Summit in Indonesia has the potential to provide significant economic, social, and political benefits to the country. Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, confirmed this. He believes that this event will provide a boost to the country’s tourism and creative economy sectors. With the theme “Recover Together, Recover Stronger.”, Indonesia invites the world to collaborate together to recover from the epidemic and establish an even more sustainable world.
